8 Great Christmas Recordings for 2018

Every year, the holiday season brings a new assortment of fabulous and festive Christmas albums. Host Lisa Flynn guides us through 8 of her top classical Christmas recordings for 2018.

Playlist: The Vienna Boys’ Choir Shares their Favorite Christmas Music!

A Viennese Christmas would not be complete without the glorious sounds of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. We asked the choir members to select their favorite Christmas carols that they have performed.

How Hilary Hahn’s Bond With Bach Has Endured and Grown… From Her First Recital to Today

Bach has been a part of Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn’s life, both in practice and performance, nearly every day since she was nine years old, and her most recent album explores her ongoing fascination with the composer.

Video: Violinist Jennifer Koh on Creating a Diverse, Thriving Classical Music Future

“One of the things that’s important to me,” Koh shared, “is to bring voice to people who didn’t have that voice before.”

Learn to play harpsichord repertoire on piano with Jory Vinikour

Grammy-nominated Jory Vinikour shares his advice for how to capture the magic of the harpsichord on the piano.

How a Bach Minuet Got a Motown Makeover

Bach’s Minuet in G major from the Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach is famous enough today that you may have had it as your cell phone ringtone. One arrangement, recorded by a ’60s girl group called The Toys, was a #1 single in the US and reached #5 on the UK Global charts.

What do Philip Glass and J.S. Bach have in common? More than you think, according to pianist Simone Dinnerstein.

Despite being born centuries apart, Philip Glass and J.S. have much in common than you’d think.

Playlist: Classical Music for Weddings (That’s Not Pachelbel’s Canon)

If you’re looking to add a classical touch to your nuptials, but would like to avoid the ubiquitous “Canon,” we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite pieces to match the mood of each moment in the ceremony.

Playlist: 31 Freaky and Frightening Classical Works to Haunt Your Halloween

Whether you’re looking for spooky music as you wait for trick-or-treaters, or you need some music to accompany your own “danse macabre,” we have your perfect Halloween soundtrack.

Video: Was J.S. Bach Truly Religious? His Bible May Have Clues

Though J.S. Bach wrote many sacred works, some historians have questioned his faith. Notes Bach made in his own personal copy of the Bible may reveal whether or not the composer was truly religious.

Listening to This Bach Fantasia Arranged for Marimbas Is Like Giving Your Brain a Massage

J.S. Bach is one of the most celebrated figures in the history of music. American composer John Knowles Paine declared that Bach’s music “cannot grow antiquated,” and many modern musicians have arranged his compositions for instruments that had not yet been invented during Bach’s lifetime. Wendy Carlos changed music when she arranged Bach’s works for Moog synthesizers and helped popularize …

This Is What Your Favorite Composers Would Look Like if They Actually Cracked a Smile…

Though the music of your favorite composers might make you smile, chances are, the composers themselves aren’t smiling in their portraits. Until now…

Watching This “Bubble Smith” Blow Big Bubbles to Bach on a Beach Is Your Moment of Zen for the Week

Composer Robert Schumann loved Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier so much that he said it should be every musician’s “daily bread.” But perhaps you’ve never thought it could make the perfect bubble-blowing soundtrack, too. The Well-Tempered Clavier is composed of two volumes of keyboard music. Each contains 24 pairs of preludes and fugues, one for each of the major and minor keys. …

Yo-Yo Ma, Civic Musicians to Present Benefit ‘Concert for Peace’ at St. Sabina Church

Net proceeds from the remaining ticket sales will benefit St. Sabina’s Strong Futures employment program, which currently serves 50 young people ages 17-26 by providing training, mentorship, and other services.

This Split Screen Performance of Bach’s St. John Passion is the Most Metal Thing You’ll Hear All Day

What’s more metal than Bach’s driving bass line, chromatic suspensions, and florid inner voices?

The 10 Best Classical Recordings of 2016

Here are 10 albums from 2016 that stood out because of the incredible performances, the repertoire, the historical significance, or all of the above.

How Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Singer Kurt Elling Developed His Chops Singing Motets by J.S. Bach

As Elling returned to his native Chicago for performances at City Winery, he spoke about how classical music has influenced him throughout his life.

Masaaki Suzuki’s 8 Tips to Better Your Bach

“There are all kinds of ways to play Bach, and that depends on your personality and how you want to deal with Bach’s music.”

Why Composer Max Richter Wants To Put You to Sleep

Composer Max Richter wants people to doze off during his latest composition, SLEEP, which he calls an “8-hour lullaby.”